


The Story of the Kurosaki Shapeshifter

by WandererOfVoid



Category: Yu-Gi-Oh! ARC-V
Genre: Canon Divergance, Canon Rewrite, Kurosaki Shun-centric AU, Other, Self-Indulgent, Shapeshifter!Shun, Tags soon to be added - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-15
Updated: 2017-10-15
Packaged: 2019-01-17 16:57:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 14,473
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12370050
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WandererOfVoid/pseuds/WandererOfVoid
Summary: Accidently deleted this work after having a mini heart-attack so I'm re-uploading it. Basically a character AU where our beloved Kurosaki is a shapeshifter!~As apology, I'm going to post the entire thing in whole from the document, I don't want to rewrite everything but beware, there might be some errors~





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Calming down after my little freak out, so sorry to do this!

It was strange for Kurosaki Shun, hiding his true self from the world so he would be rejected by society. He hid this ability from birth, his parents had left him at an orphanage but he ran away several times before his sister arrived at the orphanage at the age of three.

  
Shun was six at the time when Ruri appeared in the orphanage. Shun made sure to keep his ability hidden from her, but he would have to shapeshift from time to time. Mostly into a black cat or a raven.

  
One time, Ruri was four years old and she caught Shun, who was aged seven at the time, shapeshifting into his black cat form. Being so young, she thought it was just a dream considering it was late at night and how she immediately went to sleep afterwards.

  
Ten years passed and they go to duel school and meet Yuto, Kaito, Sayaka and Allen. Shun still hid his true self from them, despite their suspicions. Then, the invasion had started and many people were lost during the Fusion dimension's first raid.  
Food was scarce and the water was barely drinkable. Everything food related was preserved in cans. Like fish, chicken and all of those meats. They had to ration the food to the people who needed it most. Such as the sick and the wounded as well as the Resistance and even the resistance members had to ration their food into thirds.

  
Shun, Ruri and Yuto often shared their food and drink with one another. Shun would often go into his secret stash in case the food they recieve was smaller than usual. Ruri would usually blame it on the cocky individuals in the Spades Resistance but Yuto would tell her it was fine as long as they lived.

  
Then... Ruri was gone. Shun couldn't believe it and disappeared for two months. He survived off of scraps off the ground and water from most of the destroyed fountains. Of course he shapeshifted to keep himself from being a target and used his enhanced hearing and smell to find his food.

  
He sometimes had to resort to eating mice... he had to survive throughout this tradgey somehow.  
He later returned to Spades with no such luck of finding Ruri. Yuto told him about the duel disk they snatched from one of Academia's squadrons as they had dimension travelling technology. Of course they used it and travelled to Standard since Shun heard murmurs that Academia would strike there next.


	2. The Standard Agenda

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shun travels to Standard for the first time and he uses his powers to scout out Maiami City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> On second thought, I think people might see the post spam... please don't kill me. Please~

Shun sometimes hated this curse but sometimes thanked it. Yuto and Shun separated upon arriving in Standard. He clicked his tongue in annoyance and shifted into his cat form. Luckily his clothes shifted with him, but it was only his clothes. Any borrowed clothing would fall off of him.

  
Though his scarf remained around his neck but the rest of his clothes would be absorbed into his body to create fur/feathers.  
His eyes shifted to a cats' eye as he yeowled and stretched out on the concrete. He was used to this routine by now, but staying in this form would wear him out. He decided to scope out the city in a cats' eye view.

  
He strolled the streets unnoticed as he glanced at buildings and made mental notes to where he was. He would often hear conversations and whispers that weren't about him unlike the Resistance when he would shapeshift and worry most of the members who weren't confident in their dueling. Though he couldn't speak in his form, he would like to thank the members in his voice just to see their reaction. However he had to keep it hidden from everyone.

  
Even so, Ruri saw him once but convinced her it was all a dream the next day. He felt bad for lying to her, at such a young age too.

  
"Mommy look! A kitty!" Shun turned to see a girl in a light pink dress pointing at him insistantly. The woman holding the girl's hand smiled towards him. "Can we keep it! Please?" Shun flinched and ran off. He didn't want to be a house pet, let alone a shapeshifting house pet.

  
After spending the entire day wandering the city, he decided to find Yuto. After all, he was a comrade of his from the Xyz Dimension and a close friend of his. He found Yuto in an alleyway, looking around in a confused manner.

  
His friend's grey eyes landed onto him. He stopped as the two stared at one another. Yuto smiled warmly and motioned him to come over. Shun followed as Yuto took a seat against the wall next to the dumpster.

  
Yuto rubbed Shun's ears and petted him affectionately. It's clear Yuto did this a lot. Shun did meet a lot of stray cats in his time in Heartland being a cat and often hung out with them. He can speak to them as they seemed to know him quite well. So his bet was that Yuto might have had a few run ins with those strays and knew exactly where to pet and where not to pet.

  
A scent reached Shun's nose, causing him to recoil and hiss. It was blood... but where was it coming from? Yuto gave the cat a confused look before realising what he meant.

  
Shun watched as his best friend undid his scarf, revealing two small scratches that seemed to bleeding. Shun approached and gently started to lick the wound. Yuto flinched a few times until the taste of blood was gone in Shun's mouth. He wasn't a vampire, but he wanted Yuto to stop dirtying his scarf with his blood.

  
Yuto eventually went to sleep on the concrete as Shun shifted back to his human form and cleared his throat. "So this is where you were..." Shun stated, waking up Yuto.

  
"Shun..." He mumbled as Shun sighed. "Come on, there's a few warehouses near the docks a few blocks down, we can sleep in there for the night."

\---<>\---

  
Shun had to pick up Yuto and carry him the rest of the way there. Once they arrived, Shun closed the door behind him and made sure it was locked. He put Yuto down on the old worn couch and searched the boxes for blankets and stuff. He found some and put two on top of Yuto.

  
"Thank you..." Yuto felt back to sleep as he curled up on the couch. Shun ruffled Yuto's hair gently before opening the door and closing it, to make it sound like he left Yuto. But instead, he shifted into his cat form and jumped into one of the boxes.  
' _The cats were right..._ ' Shun thought, remembering what the cats said about sleeping in a box being the most comfortable thing to do as a cat. He curled up comfortably and fell asleep.  
...

  
"Shun?" The cat woke up to Yuto's voice. He thought he was found out but instead was being called upon by his friend. He noticed the defeated tone in his voice and felt bad for 'leaving' him. But in actually was right there... but not as his human self.  
Shun felt his eyes water when he fell back to sleep.

\---<>\---

  
Shun was back on patrol and this time hunting for LDS students after finding out that the person he was looking for was the CEO of the LDS Corporation, Akaba Reiji.

  
He was interupted by Yuto once before the two broke off once again.  
After defeating three LDS students, Akaba Reiji decided to show himself. Shun told Reiji of his plan to take him as hostage, only to shut him down almost immediately. His father and Reiji weren't working together, but working against each other.

  
Shun scoffed and folded his arms. "I understand the way you must feel. Disappointed, angry, appalled..." Reiji approached him. "But since we are working towards a similar, if not same, goal to take down my father and Academia; I want to propose something to you." Shun flinched.

  
"What is it that you are offering?" Shun asked. "I want you to participate in a tournament to face a Fusion Spy." That lingering scent that Shun was smelling... it was Fusion. He could smell fusion on that blue haired boy as well... ' _That boy is the fusion spy._ '

  
"A tournament? What for?" Shun asked. Reiji smiled slightly. "To weed out the weak duelists and to get the strong duelists together in a group that will invade Academia. We will call these people the Lancers."

  
"What's in it for me?" Shun asked. "Your sister's safety." The shapeshifter glared at Reiji. "Come with me, I want to show you to your living quarters for the remainder of your stay here." He had no choice but to follow Reiji, back to LDS Tower.

  
\---<>\---

  
Upon arriving in Shun's new dorm, he already hated the design of it. It looked nice, but Shun felt there was something else to this room other than 'safety'. Shun walked in and took in the layout of the room. There was a vent with very small screws and openings and a large window with the view of most of the city.

  
He heard the door close behind him, startling the shapeshifter. "Kurosaki, I know what you are." Reiji's voice didn't seem to change from his boring 'I-know-everything' tone. "What do you mean?" Shun asked, trying to throw him off. The shapeshifter turned towards Reiji.

  
"I'm not an idiot Kurosaki. You are a shapeshifter aren't you?" Shun remained calm, after all he was seen by his sister before. But this isn't a four year old girl, this is a sixteen year old boy who is one of the best duelists in Standard according to the conversations of people and the newspaper clippings he would see or hear while he scoped out the city.

  
"How do you know about that?" Shun asked, sizing up to him as he approached Reiji. "I have my ways Kurosaki." Reiji answered simply as Shun glared at him. "Tell me." Shun ordered as Reiji pushed up his glasses.

  
"I have cameras around the city... I saw you shapeshift when you first entered Standard." Shun flinched. ' _Damn, I should've checked for cameras._ ' Reiji put his hands on Shun's shoulders, Shun's eyes widened slightly.

  
"Y-Yeah, you know what I am. W-What are you going to do?" Shun mentally cursed his stuttering, but his true self was never discovered by anyone. He was mentally kicking himself for not looking close enough.

  
"I simply want a demonstration. How do you do it?" Shun sighed and made himself relax. He focused until he felt Reiji's hand slip off of him. He felt his bones shift and shrink with the rest of his body and fur sprouting from his body.

  
When he reopened his eyes and he glanced up at Reiji, now in his cat form. He felt Reiji's hands gently pick him up and inspect him with the cold and calculating eyes.

  
Shun felt unnerved being held by someone that wasn't from his dimension. Reiji soon carried him over to the bed and set the kitten onto the bed. "I see... I'll see you again tomorrow. Do not, under any circumstances leave this room." Shun hissed.  
" _You don't control me!_ " He yeowled furiously as Reiji left the room, seemingly ignoring the cat's angry rebuttal.

  
\---<>\---

  
Shun was forcefully signed up for the LDS classes, much to his displeasure. To add to that, he cannot leave the building in any shape or form, Reiji made sure that he wouldn't leave.

  
Sometimes he would spend most of the day in his room, sleeping in his cat form. He didn't want to compliment Reiji, but the linen was incredibly soft as a cat.

  
Then came the time of the tournament, in which Shun revealed Sora's true colours in a duel in Solid Vision Heartland. Not long after, Sora escaped his hospital room in pursuit of Yuto as Shun was aware.

  
But he had a growing sense of loss when he watched the duel between Yuto and Sora. Yuya intervened and Sora was sent back to Academia forcefully. The feeling worsened when the cameras went out and a powerful Synchro summon was recorded in the same area as Yuto and Yuya.

  
After Shun was sent back to his room, he tried contacting Yuto several times. "Pick up!" Shun yelled in frustration. This had been the twenty-second time he had called Yuto and received no answer.

  
"...please leave a message after the tone. _***BRIIIING!***_ " Shun heaved out a sigh. "Yuto... please pick up. I-I know you must be upset with me, I'm sorry... truly I am... so please call me back. Please tell me you are okay." He hung up the phone and threw his duel disk onto the bed in frustration.  
"I can't lose you... Yuto..." Shun mumbled as his eyes watered.

  
...

  
When he witnessed Yuya summon Dark Rebellion during the Duel with Kachidoki, Shun was beyond pissed. 'That bastard! He must have stolen his card and carded Yuto!' Shun turned to leave, only to feel a hand on his shoulder.

  
"Kurosaki... please re-" Shun shoved Reiji's hand off of him. "Shut up, you can't control me-"  
"Kurosaki, your inner cat is showing." Shun felt the cat ears on his head twitch. He flinched and rubbed his own ears. Reiji pushed up his glasses.

  
"Kurosaki, you need to calm yourself. Otherwise your power will overwhelm you." Reiji stated as he got out his baggy black hoodie. "I will come and collect it once you are done with it. Make sure you wash it from your fur." Shun scoffed, grabbing the hoodie and putting it on.

  
Upon arriving back in his room, he sighed and made sure his ears were gone. They were still there... Shun growled and hissed. ' _Why now am I starting to lose control?_ ' He felt his tail reappear, confirming his worries.

  
' _Snap out of it Shun! You've changed forms several times before... like what Reiji said... calm down, take a deep breath in..._ ' Shun sat on the bed, being mindful of his tail and took a breath. ' _Out..._ ' He exhaled. ' _In..._ ' He felt his tail and ears vanish. His teeth and nails reverted back to normal.

  
Shun opened his eyes and glanced down at himself, making sure there was nothing out of the ordinary. He breathed a sigh of relief. ' _I need to keep tabs on my powers... I need to keep a lid on my powers and make sure nothing like that happens again._ '

  
\---<>\---

  
The Battle Royale had begun and Shun was put against three knights... he took them out on the first turn. It wasn't much of a challenge to him, considering the amount of Obelisk Force he had to face back in Heartland.

  
' _Pancakes... and fusion... Sakaki Yuya is approaching..._ ' Shun sat against the pillar and took a break. He had to relax and wait.  
When Shun saw a glint of green and red in the corner of his eye, he made himself apparent. "Kurosaki! I was looking for you. We need to talk-" Shun eyed the 'secret camera' as he glared at Yuya.

  
"Talk about what? The fact you took my friend's card from him and used it in that duel of yours?" Shun growled, Yuya's red eyes twitched slightly as he took a step away from Shun.

  
"Yuto entrusted me with Dark Rebellion. He wanted me to return smiles back to your homeland, he wanted me to duel with smiles!" Shun furrowed his brow. "You say that after cornering your opponent and brutally defeating him in a duel? Promising to make him smile, promising that everyone will enjoy that duel?"

  
Shun readied his duel disk. "How dare you insult my sister's words! I will make you suffer in eternal pain!" Shun hissed as Yuya raised his arms defensively. "I-I didn't come here to duel Kurosaki! I only want to speak to you!"

  
"I don't want to speak to you! Defeat me in a duel, and you can-" Shun froze, his senses heightened. "Fusion... Obelisk Force..." He mumbled, confusing Yuya. "Kurosaki? W-What are you-" As if on cue, three soldiers in blue and white appeared with a familiar candy munching devil.

  
' _How could Kurosaki sense that? Is he a psychic duelist?_ ' Yuya mentally pondered as he glanced towards the four. "Sora? Who are these people? Why are you here?" Sora grinned.

  
"I came here for a rematch against a certain Xyz User..." Shun grunted. "Fine, I'll finish what Yuto started." Sora grinned, licking a lollipop. "Okay boys, take good care of Yuya. Shun and I will just be over there if you need me." The three soldiers nodded and readied their duel disks.

  
...

  
Shun was losing... Sora was insane. "Finish him off! Frightfur Wolf!" With that, he was sent down a flight of stairs. His vision was blurred as he tumbled down the steps.

  
Each Solid Vision sandstone stair bruised and scratched him until he found solace on the concrete road. He suddenly felt disturbed when a pair of thin arms wrapped around him. "Moonlight Mirage!" A female voice yelled. It wasn't Ruri or that Yuzu girl from earlier... who was it?

  
Shun barely cracked open his eyes when he found himself with this indigo haired stranger helping him. "Are you okay? Did Sora hurt you?" Shun was having a hard time concentrating, he was tired and barely maintaining him form. He didn't want to change here, especially not in front of someone he just met.

  
He gave her a quick nod as she lowered him onto the ground. Pain spiked up from his leg, he let out an animalistic hiss in pain, startling the girl. "Xyz User, are you sure you're fine?" Shun's vision cleared... it was another counterpart of Ruri, but she was wearing the other counterpart's clothing.  
' _She's..._ '

  
"Are you okay?" Shun shook his head slightly as he felt the girl pick him up again. He's picking up the scent of Fusion from her... but the clothes were mingled with the scent of bacon and eggs... and chili?  
It greatly confused him, but he would thank her later. If it wasn't for her coming to save him, he would be a card at that moment.

...

  
He was later in a duel with a ninja, a samurai, the fusion counterpart of his sister, the arrogant blonde who rivals Yuya and two others who ended up being carded. Shun was exhausted, that part of obvious.

  
His leg felt numb and his side ached with pain. He cursed the stairs for doing that. In the end, he finished the duel, despite his weak stature. Not long after, the Battle Royale ended.

  
Reiji greeted everyone personally after Sora ended up escaping back to Fusion. The CEO noticed Shun's weak form and pushed up his glasses. He approached him. "Kurosaki, you can trust that no one outside of this group will know what you truly are. You clearly are in discomfort from holding this form for such an extended period of time... I can also tell you are badly injured. So please... just relax." Shun closed his eyes submissively.

  
"What the hell are you two whispering about? You know it's rude to leave us out of-" Shingo's statement was swiftly interrupted when Shun shapeshifted into his cat form in front of everyone.

  
"What the hell?!" Shingo exclaimed in horror. "W-What happened to..." Shingo was about to faint until Nobaru held him up. Reiji picked up the small black bundle of fur and gently held it, a red scarf was noticable around the kitten's neck.

  
"What happened to Kurosaki?" Nobaru asked, still in shock of what he witnessed. Reiji gently pushed up his glasses, trying his best to not disturb the kitten in his hold. "Kurosaki is a shapeshifter, the only one in existance."

  
Dennis gaped. "S-So Kurosaki is that cat?" Reiji nodded. He approached Tsukikage and asked him to hold the cat until he was finished speaking.

  
(Something, something duel happened, Yuya lost blah blah blah) After the duel against Reiji, Yuya stood up and glanced over to the small black kitten in Tsukikage's arms. "Can I... take him home with me?"

  
That question surprised Reiji. "My mother takes care of strays... I'm sure Kurosaki would be taken care of." Yuya stated as Reiji nodded and ordered Tsukikage to hand the kitten over to him.

  
Shun flinched being in a different grip than Reiji or Tsukikage. The small kitten opened his eyes, meeting a familiar red and green. " _Y-Yuya...?_ " Shun let out a tired sounding meow, gaining the holder's attention.

  
"Don't worry Kurosaki, Yuya is tasked with taking care of you until you recover." Shun didn't have it in him to argue... and anything Shun would say came out as hisses, growls and meows. He was exhausted after a day like this.

  
...

  
After the announcement of the tournament's postponement; Yuya and Nobaru met up with his mother, Tatsuya, Futoshi, Ayu and Yuzu's father, Shuzo Hiiragi. Nobaru gently held Shun in his arms, despite how awkward the situation was, Shun was resting in Nobaru's grip.

  
He eyed the large group in concern as Yuya briefly explained what happened during the tournament. Yoko, Yuya's mother, seemed to understand.

  
Yuya asked Nobaru to follow with Shun as they entered this abandoned duel shack. Yoko came out of the shadows, riding a motorcycle and started a duel against Yuya after trying to run her son over with 500 pounds of metal and rubber.  
Nobaru glanced down at Shun, who seemed to be preoccupied with the duel at hand. Shun felt Nobaru's stare and glanced up at him. The samurai boy glanced up at the duel and the cat huffed tiredly.

  
After the duel ended, Shun had felt guilty for what he said to Yuya before as Nobaru handed the shapeshifter back to tomato haired boy. When Nobaru, Shuzo and the kids were gone. Yuya told Yoko about the black cat in his arms being badly injured.  
Upon arriving back at the house, Shun was introduced to many kinds of smells. The origin of the pancake smell, the smell of numerous cats and dogs and strangely enough pork? It was faint, but he could smell it.

  
"Put your friend on the table and I'll call a vet to examine him." Shun flinched in Yuya's grip. Once Yoko disappeared around the corner, Yuya sighed.

  
"Akaba Reiji told me to look after you Kurosaki, you need to get looked at and you need to recover from... the stairs." Shun flinched. " _How the hell do you know about that?_ " Shun hissed lowly as Yuya gently rubbed Shun's ears.

  
Shun glared at Yuya and hissed towards him. " _Stop it!_ " He hissed as Yuya sighed. The two sat in silence. "Kurosaki... I don't know what it's like, being a shapeshifter and all but, can't we at least try to be friends?" Shun's eyes widened as he glanced towards Yuya, who smiled gently towards him.

  
Shun closed his eyes and turned away from him. "Yuya, the vet will arrive soon!" Shun flinched again and Yuya nodded. "Okay!" Yoko didn't enter the room and Shun scoffed. He shifted his vocals around to sound more human.

  
"I don't like being treated like a common house pet." Yuya gaped. "So you can talk?" Shun sighed.  
"Barely-oew." Shun mewed as he glanced up at the ceiling. The two sat in silence before Yuya folded his arms with a huff. "So how long have you been a shapeshifter for Kurosaki?" Shun looked down.

  
"All my life... my sister-nya, isn't one if you were wondering nya." Yuya looked confused. "So it was just you?" Shun nodded. "I was... cursed nya. I don't knyow why or who did it..." Shun sounded disheartened.

  
"Did you have parents?" Yuya asked and Shun shook his head. "Orphaned and I raised my sister during my time nyaere... I hate speaking like this nya..." Shun heard Yuya stifling his giggles and gave him a stern glare. "Is this your first time speaking as a cat?" Shun sighed.

  
"Nyes. I'm getting worn out just by doing this nya..." Shun grumbled. "The vet's here Yuya!" Shun shifted his vocals back to a cat before he completely passed out as Yuya nodded.

  
...

  
Shun remained silent through the entirety of the check. "A broken leg and two broken ribs... poor little boy..." Shun glared at the man. ' _Little?! I'm seventeen!_ ' Shun internally yelled. The vet grasped his broken leg. "At least it isn't broken that badly... it would need a few days rest."

  
The vet put a small cast on his leg, it was red. It matched his scarf and Shun felt slightly better than before. "He mustn't do anything too reckless to his body, all he needs to do is rest. What's the cat's name?" Yoko opened her mouth until Yuya swiftly interupted.

  
"His name is Shun." The vet nodded. "Named after that Xyz duelist?" Shun flinched when he was indirectly mentioned. "W-Well it's his... sister's cat. It ran away from home and I was lucky to stumble across it when I did." Shun flinched, but the vet seemed to buy it.

  
"Okay kid, look after him okay?" Yuya gave the vet a nervous smile as the vet nodded and left. Yoko seemed confused by Yuya's rashness. Shun seemed to know the look Yoko gave Yuya.

  
"Yuya, I need an explanation." Yoko stated as Yuya turned to Shun, as if wanting confirmation. Shun sighed and nodded his head, being unable to shift his vocals to speak. "Mom... that's Kurosaki Shun."

  
Yoko glared at the cat skeptically. Shun gave her a knowing look in the eye as she looked surprised.  
"So that's... the boy who duelled Sora? How did he turn into a cat?" Yuya started to explain Shun's situation (and also explained that Sora got his revenge, that's why he was so badly hurt) and Yoko looked shocked.

  
"Kurosaki?" The cat gave her a nod and attempted to shift his vocals. Black dots invaded his vision as he gave out a human like sigh. "I'm sorry..." With that, Shun collapsed in exhaustion. "Kurosaki!" Yuya cried as the cat fell limp on the table. Yoko sighed.  
"He will be fine Yuya... I'll just find a place for him to sleep for tonight-"

  
"Can he sleep in my room?" Yoko glanced at Yuya in a confused manner. "Um... sure Yuya, if that's what you want to do." Yuya gently cradled the cat in his arms and said goodnight to his mother before heading upstairs.

  
...

  
Upon entering his room, he made sure that En (his corgi dog) wasn't in the room before putting Shun on a small nest of towels. Shun flinched in his sleep, his eyes furrowed slightly as Yuya gently petted him, his eyes giving off a greyish hue.  
"Why didn't you tell me sooner... Shun?" A deeper tone of voice came from him until he stood up, confused as to what had happened. Yuya's eyes returned to normal as he glanced down at Shun one last time before going to bed.

  
\---<>\---

  
The next morning, Shun awoke to an extremely soft feeling underneath him. He opened his eyes to see himself in a small nest of towels... and he also heard snoring and then a loud thud. Shun tried to support himself on the three legs and saw that Yuya had fallen out of bed.

  
He collapsed on his stomach and hissed as his chest ached. "Oh... so that wasn't a dream." He heard Yuya mumble as he stood up and approached the nest of towels. "I'll go tell Reiji the news about the recovery if you want to go... I think the other Lancers would be there."

  
Shun nodded as Yuya got changed in a walk-in-robe and he came out in his usual attire. It bewildered Shun how he got his jacket to go like that, but Yuya picked him up and told Yoko that he was leaving.

  
...

  
"I see... that is an issue." Reiji stated as he inspected Shun closely. "So we can't leave without Kurosaki? I guess he lost his spark thanks to Sora." Shingo stated. "Fear not! I'll defeat Academia singlehandedly." He added as Shun scoffed as well as Serena.  
"You really are that dense aren't you? Academia is swarming with powerful students that train in harsh enviroments. They will take you down in no time flat." Serena stated as Shingo glared at her.

  
"That's enough you two, we don't need anymore... disturbances." Shun hissed and aimed to scratch Reiji's arms. " _Why you...! I will claw your eyes out!_ " Shun hissed as Yuya held him away from Reiji.

  
"This is fine, because it will give us more time to prepare. I want each of you to hand in your duel disks for maintenance, I have Kurosaki's duel disk and it's going under the same procedure." Shingo groaned.

  
"But what will we do until then?" Reiji pushed his glasses up. "Play the game the old fashioned way." Serena seemed confused at the term as Nobaru elaborated for her. "He means tabletop duel." He stated.

  
Shingo grunted as he pointed to Shun. "It's all his fault! If he wasn't injured, we would be going and dueling against-" Shun hissed. " _I swear you are such an annoyance! If my leg wasn't broken, I would go other there and-_ "

  
"Kurosaki..." Yuya mumbled as the cat continued to hiss the unheard rant aimed at Shingo. "Meeting adjurned, I will see you in a week's time." Reiji stated as each duelist handed their duel disk to him on the way out.

  
Nobaru walked alongside Yuya who held a very quiet Shun in his arms. "Is everything alright Kurosaki?" Nobaru asked as the cat turned to him silently. "Kurosaki can talk, but it wears him out." Yuya explained as Nobaru nodded.

  
The two walked along the streets that Shun had gotten familiar with. Yuya suddenly heard concerned sounding meows coming from an alleyway, an alleyway Yuya knows is where all the stray cats came from.

  
Shun listened to the other cats as they exited the alleyway and started meowing up at Yuya. "Certainly made a name for yourself didn't you?" Yuya stated as Shun growled as he shifted his vocals.

  
"These cats are just hungry, that's all they're whining about." Shun stated, sounding offended at Yuya's statement. Nobaru seemed surprised. "So you can talk." Nobaru murmured as Shun gave him a deadpan expression.

  
The cat switched his vocals once again. " _I think you should stop harassing my comrades for food._ " Shun meowed as the cats whimpered and fled. "What did you tell them Kurosaki?" Yuya asked, seemingly amazed by the way the cats ran away from them.

  
The cat switched vocals once again. "I simply told them to leave us alone... they probably picked up my scent and started running." Yuya noticed the slightly distraught tone Shun had taken on and Nobaru glanced at Yuya worriedly.

...

  
The two separated as Yuya sent a worried look down at Shun. "You don't like being in this form for an extended amount of time huh?" Shun huffed, changing his vocals again. "No... it brings back too many memories..." Shun stated sadly as Yuya opened the door.

  
Yoko greeted them. "Welcome back you two, we're having fish tonight." Yuya seemed surprised. "I thought we would have pancakes like usual?" Yoko sighed. "Thing is Yuya, we can't have the same thing almost every night, especially when Sora is..."  
The room fell silent and the guilt in Shun grew. Yuya walked upstairs silently and put Shun down on the towel nest. He shifted his vocals to voice his concerns. "Yuya..." He watched the boy leave silently and changed his vocals back.

  
" _Great... this is just... peachy. I'm stuck in this form until the next week. I can't save Ruri with barely any mobility in my leg and with my two broken ribs... let alone save her without opposible thumbs..._ " Shun grumbled and he curled up on the towel nest before falling asleep once more.

  
"Kurosaki." Shun opened his eyes and glanced into a familiar red set of eyes. He realised he wasn't on the nest of towels, but on Yuya's bed. He shifted his vocals again. "What is it Yuya?"

  
The boy looked down and simply got out a card... Dark Rebellion Xyz Dragon. Shun remained silent, possibly due to his vocals shifting back to being a cat. " _Yuto's card...?_ " Shun sounded confused as he gently pawed it. Yuto's scent of ash and smoke mingled with Yuya's scent of pancakes... it was strange.

  
Yuya pulled out another card... Odd-Eyes Rebellion Dragon. Shun had never seen a card like this before... and it gave off a foul odour. Heavily smelled of smoke, but it wasn't Yuto's scent. It was as though the card came from Heartland and had been through the raging fires only to remain unscathed.

  
It was a Pendulum Xyz monster... what could this mean. He shifted his vocals again. "Why are you showing me this, Yuya?" Shun asked, sounding relatively confused. Yuya remained silent. Shun attempted to get up, he was able to get more support on his leg now as he limped over to Yuya and lightly tapped his knee.

  
He started to become the pestering cat as he mewed for the boy's attention, but he seemed to be in some sort of trance. ' _Is this a dream?_ ' Shun meowed louder and started tapping harder until Yuya shook his head.

  
"Finally back, I was asking you why you were showing me nyat?" Shun mentally cursed. His speech is fading into feline. "W-What do you mean?" Yuya glanced at Dark Rebellion and Odd-Eyes Rebellion in confusion.

  
He put the cards back in his deck box and turned to Shun. "I was showing you those cards?" Shun looked confused. "N-Nyes you were." Yuya scratched his head in confusion. "I must have blacked out again... that was the third time now." Shun was forced to shift his vocals as he gagged out in pain, catching Yuya's attention.

  
"Are you okay?" Shun nodded as he gave out a cat-like cough to clear his throat. "I was going to tell you dinner was ready." Shun perked up as Yuya picked him up gently and took him downstairs.

  
...

  
Yuya was surprised at how much his comrade ate. "You must be hungry..." Shun wanted to retort, but his vocals were forced to switch so he shook his head. "You don't know the half of it..." He meowed as Yuya smiled gently towards him.

  
\---<>\---

  
Shun got to know some of Yuya's pets while Yoko and Yuya went out to You Show for a goodbye ceremony... in which Shun wasn't invited.

  
Core was a white cat that seemed to always laze about the house, sometimes in the most strangest of places. En was the excitable brown dog that Shun stayed away from, but the dog would always end up finding him. Kilo was another dog, but he was a brown bulldog with a black patch of fur around his eye and wore a green collar.

  
Shun tended to stay away from Kilo, considering he was bigger than him and kind of looked like he had been through a few fights when he wasn't domesticated. Another dog was named Watt, which appeared to be a poodle.

  
" _New around here?_ " Shun glanced towards Kilo who jumped up onto the couch, the dog proceeded to sit himself next to him. " _I wouldn't say that... I won't be here for long._ " Kilo gave Shun a confused look and lightly sniffed him. " _You have the smell of a human... yet you aren't human._ "

  
Shun looked away. " _I'm a shapeshifter, right now... I have to recover from my duel against Sora._ " Kilo seemed to remember the name. " _That blue haired kid? Wait, so you're that boy who duelled him during the first round?_ " Shun nodded. " _It seems like my name travels quickly... after one duel might I add._ "

  
" _Well of course you're known around here. Yuya-sama came back home unconscious with Yuzu-sama._ " Shun looked surprised. " _Unconscious?_ " Kilo nodded. " _It didn't seem right... Yuya-sama was unresponsive for two days. Even we tried to wake him up... but we saw something horrifying..._ " Shun became interested in what Kilo had to say. He thinks that this is the only one out of the four pets that actually talked with him.

  
" _A cold entity... you see, we dogs can see things. I'm sure cats can too... but you are a shapeshifter, not a true animal. This thing that we saw... a dark shadow with glowing red eyes. It went into Yuya's body._ " Shun perked up. " _Did you pick up a scent?_ "  
Kilo pondered for a moment before speaking. " _Actually... there was. It smelled of burning..._ " Shun took this information. ' _I might have to speak to Yuya again..._ ' Shun thought as he nodded towards Kilo. " _Thank you for your help..._ "

  
" _Don't mention it, though I find it strange that a human can change into an animal._ " Shun sighed. " _It's preferred until I recover... not long now until I can get this cast off and we can go to Academia and save my sister._ " Kilo nodded and jumped off the couch. " _Rest well, I'll make sure En or Watt don't bother you._ " Shun was surprised and nodded towards Kilo.  
' _Did I actually make friends with a dog? That proves how desperate I am... I miss you Yuto._ '

  
\---<>\---

  
Shun had finally got the cast off and was told to be careful with that leg. The cat had changed back into his human form, breathing a sigh of relief and he stretched. "How do you feel Kurosaki?" Yuya asked as the shapeshifter nodded.

  
"Better, more relieved to back to my human self..." Yoko was speechless as Shun turned to her. "Thank you for your hospitality Ms Sakaki. I appreciate it." The blonde woman nodded as Shun turned to Yuya. "We should be leaving now..." Yuya nodded.

  
"Keep my son safe." Yoko stated as Shun nodded. "I will-" Yoko gave Shun a harsh glare. "You promise?" Shun nodded, slightly unnerved. ' _Housewife... I have to keep that in mind._ ' Yuya gently grabbed Shun's wrist.

  
"Don't worry mom!" Yoko sighed and gently gave Yuya a hug before the two departed.

  
...

  
Upon arriving at LDS Tower, they met up with a badly bruised Nobaru. He told them that his father wanted to tough him up for the war. Yuya sighed. "Your father has always been like that?" Shun asked as Nobaru nodded.

  
"My family owns the Gonganzaka Dojo, I have a reputation to up-hold." Nobaru stated as Yuya glanced towards Shun, who seemed to be lost in thought and gazing towards Yuya aimlessly.

  
' _I have to keep a close eye on Yuya... I promised his mother and if what Kilo said was true... then I have to keep a **closer** eye on Yuya._ ' Shun thought as he shook his head and faced forward.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reading back on this story, jeez I did make Shun a bit of a softy. Hope you guys don't mind that sorry! Stress generally leads to lazy editing, sorry!


	3. The Synchro Upheavel

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> I was going to plan something for the Synchro Arc, but my stressed our brain said "HA! NO! Let me just delete all your hardwork re-editing!"
> 
> But basically, Shun now travels to Synchro and the events occur with a slight difference... enjoy? I guess...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not writing duels! I know they are important to the anime but I... umm... I'm not a good writer when it comes to duel. I'm more story based, sorry guys. Also, prepare yourselves for inconsistencies.

They didn't end up going to Academia directly, but they ended up in the Synchro dimension to gather allies. Though Shun thought it was a bad idea on Reiji's part, he said that there were strong duelists that came from the Synchro dimension.

  
Shun appeared by himself and he grunted in annoyance. ' _Damn it... where's Yuya?_ ' Shun glanced around briefly, making sure there were no cameras here. Even using his shapeshifting power to give him more of a keen eye.

  
Upon finding no cameras, he shapeshifted into a bird. He had no time to search the city on foot, but by a birds' eye view.  
Once he fully changed into a bird, he flew upwards and over the small buildings. ' _Is this... the Synchro Dimension?_ ' Shun glanced around the city. He then spotted a few people riding motorcycles, he could smell the gasoline... as well as Yuya's scent, mixed in with Shingo's stench, Serena's perfume and Reira's smell of musk.

  
He followed the cyclists towards a home, leaving the other Lancers with one of the riders. He landed on the roof as the rider introduced himself. The group walked inside and as soon as the door closed, Shun landed on the ground and changed back to his human self. He approached the door and knocked it.

  
A little girl with dark pink hair answered the door. "I'm looking for my comrades." The girl looked confused as she turned. "Uncle Crow, there's someone at the door. He says that he's looking for his comrades."

  
"Kurosaki!" He heard Shingo's shout. "Let him in Amanda." He heard someone call out as the girl opened the door for him to enter.

  
...

  
Shingo introduced everyone and added the fact they're from different dimensions. Crow gave him a confused look as Shun smacked Shingo over the head. "Residents from this dimension probably won't know of other dimensions idiot." Shun hissed as Shingo glared at him.

  
"Says you, you-" Shun cracked his knuckles. "Are you testing me? Sit down and allow me to explain." Shingo gulped nervously as Crow stood there processing the information. Shun began to speak to him about the different dimensions.

  
"Oh, I see... that makes a little more sense." Shun cleared his throat. "I apologise for my comrade's... misconduct." Shingo furrowed his brow. "My name is Kurosaki Shun, nothing more, nothing less." Shun offered his hand out for a handshake as Crow took it. "Nice to meet you."

  
"So, what your comrade said... different dimensions huh? You're from Xyz, that sounds like a nice place to be." Shun flinched. "Uh, Crow... you shouldn't talk about his home dimension like that..." The orange haired rider gave Yuya a strange look. "Why? Did something happen? Did Kurosaki run away from it?" Crow asked as Shun sat on the couch with his arms folded.

  
"Something happened... and Kurosaki is trying to prevent the same thing from happening to other dimensions." Yuya stated and Shingo scoffed. "It makes it difficult consider he's a-" Serena silenced him.

  
"Idiot, do you remember what Akaba Reiji said?" Crow looked intrigued. "He's what? An alien?" Shun flinched. "What happened to his dimension? What is he that you are trying to-" Shun punched the coffee table, hard.

  
It silenced any quarries in the room and terrified little Reira as Amanda attempted to comfort him. "Stop... just stop it." Shun harshly whispered. "Kurosaki..." Yuya whispered in shock. The shapeshifter stood up. "I'm only here because I was asked to protect Yuya by his mother. That's it. I didn't come here to make friends and open up about my past."

  
Serena looked down. "If you must know; yes, something happened to my homeland and yes, I had ran away to Standard to find help. No, I will not share my biological background and for god's sake Sawatari! When will you learn to shut your mouth?!"

  
The whole room fell silent after Shun's outburst. Shingo seemed to be the most affected by the outburst since the shapeshifter directed the last half to him. Yuya looked sorrowfully towards Shun. "W-Wow... I-I'm sorry that I-I..." Shingo was speechless, it was as though Shun smashed Shingo's mask of a dueltainer into itty-bitty pieces.

  
The Xyz duelist realised what he just said and froze up. He glanced towards Reira, who seemed frozen in absolute fear. Trembling and quivering ever so slightly. "I-I'll just leave you alone then... K-Kurosaki..." Shingo was about to leave until Shun grabbed his collar.

  
"Sawatari, I'm sorry... it's just that I-" Shingo smiled. "No it's fine... I need time to myself... I-I'll just be out front." Shun let Shingo go as the boy closed the door.

  
Crow scratched the back of his neck nervously. "Amanda, how about you take Reira to your room? The adults need to talk. Yuya and Serena, go out to Sawatari." The group nodded, it left only Shun and Crow in the room.

  
"Sometimes Kurosaki, it's best to let it all out, but in front of the young kids was a bit... too far." Shun sighed and grasped his head. "I'm sorry... it's just, I've been tormented by Fusion... they destroyed everything and took my little sister away from me. I'm... having a hard time right now... controlling my powers as well..." Crow nodded.

  
"Your friends... they mentioned you being something that isn't-" Shun shook his head. "I'm still human... just unique..." Shun stated, trying to sound convincing as Crow gave him a frown. "I don't believe you..."

  
He sighed. "Of course you don't... it's hard to believe even if I told you." Crow quirked a brow. "Try me." Shun heaved in a breath before exhaling. "Basically I was cursed from birth to be a shapeshifter. I can change into any animal but I prefer being either a cat or a raven and I hid myself for over seventeen years."

  
Crow took a moment to process what Shun just said. "...wow. It really does sound crazy." Crow mumbled as Shun sighed, rubbing his temples. "Do you want proof?" The orange haired duelist froze up.

  
"Look, I believe you. You don't have to change form." Crow stated, raising his hands defensively. Shun pondered for a moment. "Well... I mostly change into animals, nothing else. Hold on." Shun closed his eyes and focused.

  
"You don't have to-" Crow's statement trailed off when Shun opened his eyes. He glanced down, he still looked human. He wiggled his fingers and his now bare feet before looking up to Crow- wait looking up?

  
"W-Whoa... you weren't lying." Crow murmured under his breath. Shun felt his cat ears twitched as he rubbed them. "I-I'm still... human?" Shun's voice sounded a mixture a cat and a young boy. He sounded confused, still having cat ears and a cat's tail. "Still a work in progress huh?" Crow asked, kneeling down to him.

  
Shun wore a black polo shirt and dark blue shorts with his red scarf around his neck. He tugged lightly at his shirt as his tail flicked slightly. "I guess so? This is my first time doing this... but is this proof enough?" Shun asked as Crow nodded. "You can change back now... right?"

  
"Hey we're-" Shun and Crow turned to see Yuya, Serena and Shingo in the doorway. Shun's face blossomed red in embarassment as Serena approached him. "I didn't know you could do that." Yuya stated as he walked up to Serena and stood next to her.

  
"Kurosaki, I want to ask you something... could you find Gonganzaka?" Shingo glared at Yuya. "Why are you-"  
"Because I'm a shapeshifter, I can disguise myself-"

  
"Not to mention, he's not being hunted by Security unlike the rest of us. It's the best bet we got." Serena stated as Shun nodded, until he stopped. "Wait, what did you do to get hunted by Security?" Shun asked as Yuya shook his head.

  
"We'll tell you later, this is urgent." Shun nodded and shapeshifted to his bird form. "Oh." Crow mumbled as Shun flew from the window.

  
\---<>\---

  
He found Nobaru with Dennis in one of the city blocks, seemingly packing up for the day. He landed in the bushes and changed back. He walked out of the bushes and dusted himself off.

  
"Oh? Kurosaki, you found us!" Dennis exclaimed as Shun glared at him. "So do you know where Yuya is?" Nobaru asked as the shapeshifter nodded. "He's in hiding from Security right now, they ran into trouble apparently. Serena, Sawatari and Reira are doing the same. It's best if we don't go to their location." Nobaru nodded.

  
"You should've been with us! We entertained this large crowd of people!" Dennis stated excitedly as the Xyz user sighed. "So you haven't been looking for allies like Akaba Reiji requested?" Shun asked as Dennis sighed and lifted up a green hat filled with cash.

  
"You swindled people for their money?" The older shapeshifter asked, Dennis shook his head. "No, they tipped us after giving them a performance, we're going to do the same tomorrow." Shun glared at Dennis. "You-"

  
"Kurosaki, just relax. The more attention we get, the more money we get." Dennis stated as Shun furrowed his brow. "Disgusting..." Shun mumbled as he folded his arms.

  
...

  
With the money Dennis had 'swindled' from the people, according to Shun; they booked a hotel room to stay in for the night and got a meal from it.

  
The three sat in the hotel room in silence as Shun folded his arms. "Using dueling for profit is disgusting." Shun grumbled as Dennis smiled. "It's only this one time!" He exclaimed as Shun stayed silent.

  
"There's three beds in here, so one each." Nobaru stated as Shun nodded as the three got into bed.

...

  
The next day approached and Shun had shapeshifted into his half cat and half human child form with a dark blue hoodie that had the Raidraptor's crest on the shoulder. "This is the closest I can get to my disguise as a child."  
Dennis gushed on how cute he looked as Shun hissed. "We should go."

  
The three went to the park and Dennis began to duel Nobaru. Shun sat on the bench behind them, looking unamused as he folded his arms. He had the red scarf up to his nose as he watched the duel progress.

  
He decided that considering he didn't like his now sensitive nose could pick up anything, even the body odor.

  
It was a long day as Dennis packed up. "So, what did you think of the duel Kurosaki?" Shun folded his arms and lowered his scarf, showing his displeased expression. "In my honest opinion, it was fine... just for what you were using that duel for was disgusting." Dennis frowned.

  
...

  
The three were later picked up by a promotor and they were taken to an underground dueling arena. "I don't see why you brought a child here, he looks... trashy." Shun's eyes dilated into slits.   
"Excuse you-"  
"Kurosaki, please." Dennis put a hand on Shun's shoulder. It quelled his unbridled rage as the 'small' boy let out an agitated sounding sigh. His tail flicked Dennis' leg angrily as the trio were led into a change room.

  
"I will be back in a minute." The promotor left and closed the door behind him. Shun glanced around, there wasn't any cameras, so he shapeshifted back to his regular self. "Huh, so your clothes shapeshift with you?"

  
"Only my clothes, borrowed clothes would fall off of me. I... did it once before. Luckily no one saw though." Shun stated as Dennis frowned. "How long have you hid this for?" He asked as Shun sighed.

  
"Ever since I was born." Shun stated. "Before now, no one knew about my powers." Nobaru nodded. "Do you hear that?" He mumbled.

  
The trio heard motorcycles as they glanced out of the window, it seemed to be a one-sided window if this was a change room. People dueling on motorcycles.

  
...

  
After a few explanations, Dennis and Shun decided to try out a Turbo Duel. The duel was going well... until the power went out and Security stormed the underground arena.  
Dennis, Shun and Nobaru were captured by Sector Security and sent to prison.

\---<>\---

  
"It was a setup." Shun growled as he sat in a cell with Nobaru and Dennis. "Damn it... why didn't I see it?"  
"No need to beat yourself up for this Kurosaki." Nobaru stated as Shun sighed. "..." He grunted.

  
It was lunchtime and the prisoners were getting their food. "Tricked from our food? Really?" Shun growled, this was getting worse and worse for him. "Well, give us your cards and we might give you more-"  
Shun kicked the prisoner square in the face. "Kurosaki!" The prisoner tumbled to the ground. "Think you're above the law are we?" Ten different prisoners surrounded Shun, cracking their knuckles. Shun tossed the food tray towards one of the prisoners and and readied his fists.

  
"Bring it on." Shun muttered as the prisoners charged at him all at once, Dennis and Nobaru's voices were drowned out by the sound of punching and groaning.   
"Hey! Hey, break it up now! All of you!" All the prisoners were knocked unconscious with bleeding scratches and their skin painted black and blue with bruises. Shun was sent off to Solitary Confinement.

  
...

  
Shun turned to his half cat form, trying to seek out if Dennis and Nobaru were still in the prison. They still were... however he picked up a familiar scent of pancakes. ' _Yuya...?_ ' Shun shifted to his bird form and flew through the bars.

  
Shun mentally scoffed. ' _They have no idea how to hold a shapeshifter prisoner..._ ' He thought as he flew to the holding cells and tracked Yuya's scent, he found Yuya... as well as Crow, Nobaru, Dennis and three new guys. He flew into the cell, surprising the group.

  
"A bird?... no wait... Kurosaki?" Shun shapeshifted back to himself and dusted himself off. "Is everyone in this prison an idiot?" He mumbled as Dennis smiled. "How was Solitary Confinement?"

  
"Uncomfortable, cramped and dark." Shun mumbled as Yuya greeted him. "I'm glad you're okay Kuro-" Shun immediately silenced him. "If they find out I'm in here, they'll put me back there..."

  
The three newcomers looked shocked. "Crow, who is that?" The blue haired boy asked. Shun straightened himself out, seemingly forgot that there was three newcomers in the cell. "Shinji, this is one of my friend's friend, Kurosaki Shun." Crow introduced as Shun nodded.

  
"H-He just... changed into-" Shun glared at one of the cellmates. "I'm a shapeshifter." He simply stated as he shifted into his cat form and jumped onto one of the beds. Yuya sighed as Shun curled up into a ball and fell asleep.

  
"So... Kurosaki can change form?" Yuya nodded. "He was... cursed at a young age." Nobaru stated as Dennis sat next to the mass of black fur. Shun's senses perked up in alarm. ' _That smell..._ ' Shun squinted and looked up slightly. ' _Dennis is... a fusion spy._ '

  
(Skipping most of the Arc - again sorry guys, see notes at the end for explanation)

  
After Shun escaped the underground facility, he looked around. ' _I can smell Fusion everywhere... but where are they?_ ' The shapeshifter jumped onto another building, still tracking that scent. ' _After I find Academia... I have to protect Yuya._ '

  
...

  
He was smelling fusion, a lot of fusion all swarmed in an abandoned subway station. He could smell plants, oil... Yuya's scent of pancakes, Reira's scent of musk, and... Serena's scent of cake.

  
A sudden foul odour took over his senses. Burning... the smell of burning. Shun froze and instantly ran in that direction. ' _Burning... that burning scent Kilo told me about... Yuya!_ '

  
The closer he got, the more overwhelming it became. He coughed and collapsed onto his knees. "D-Damn it..."   
"RETREAT! RETREAT!" Shun glanced up and saw three Obelisk Force soldiers running frantically out of the subway station and instantly teleporting away. Not long after, Yuzu ran onto the scene, screaming Yuya's name.

  
Shun struggled to get up as he continued to the subway. "A-Almost..." There was a flash of pink, and then darkness.

...

  
"-urosaki? Oi! Wake up!" Shun was nudged awake by Shingo. The shapeshifter sat up and rubbed his head. "When did I..."  
"Thank goodness you're awake." Shun looked up to an old man in a green kimono. "Your friend was concerned about you." He stated, the shapeshifter gave the man a confused look. "Who are you?"

  
"My name is Chojiro, you must be Kurosaki Shun." He nodded as Chojiro helped him up. Nobaru ran onto the scene. "Oh, I didn't expect you to be here Kurosaki."

  
"I was tracking Yuya's scent, I smelled burning in his direction... so I followed it. I think I might have got overwhelmed by the smell, it was strong." Shun stated.

  
...

  
They entered the subway station, Shun froze up when his eyes met Sora. His eyes became slitted and his cat ears and tail reappeared. Shingo glanced towards Shun.

  
"A-Ah! K-Kurosaki!" Shingo exclaimed, Shun stopped and glanced down at his hands. ' _Calm yourself!_ ' He scolded himself as he closed his eyes and took breaths. Nobaru ran over to Yuya.

  
"What happened here? Are you okay?" Nobaru asked as Yuya slowly opened his eyes. "Gonganzaka...?" His vision cleared up; seeing Shun, Shingo, Chojiro beside him.

  
"You're awake..." Shun breathed, turning his attention to Sora. The boy was awake and limping away from the shapeshifter. "Where do you think you're going? Going back to Academia?" Shingo yelled as Reira hid behind Sora.

  
That took Shun off-guard... unless... he sniffed the air around him. The burning smell still lingered, but not as strong as it was before. Serena's scent had disappeared along with the owner.

  
"Yuya, what happened to Serena?" Shun asked, Sora seemed surprised that he knew that the Fusion counterpart was here. "She was taken back to Academia..." Yuya mumbled.

  
"What about Yuzu? I saw her run in here before I passed out."

  
"She was taken by Sergey." Shun was surprised that Sora answered that question. "We tried our hardest to protect Yuzu and Serena... but Serena vanished first and Yuzu was taken by Sergey..."   
Tsukikage answered, appearing beside Sora. The shapeshifter frowned. "It doesn't explain why you're here Sora." Shun growled, trying to control himself. The small boy looked down.

  
"I... I want to help Yuya. I... I'm turning my back on Academia. I want to fight for what I believe is right! I believe dueling with smiles is the right thing to do!" Sora exclaimed as the room was cloaked in silence.  
Shun turned his back to the group. "There's a squad of Obelisk Force nearby." Shun stated as he left the subway station.

  
\---<>\---

  
(skipping towards the end of the Arc)

  
The Lancers were chasing after Rodger, who held Yuzu as hostage. Shun followed her scent and led the group to a large room.  
Yuya was already there, holding Yuzu in a bridal kind of style. He heaved a sigh of relief.

  
Suddenly, he felt wind appear. He clung to the wall as the rest of the Lancers braced themselves. Rodger ended up falling in a wormhole, howling with laughter before screaming bloody murder.

  
The wormhole disappeared, as well as his echoing screams. Shun clutched his ears and rubbed his temples. "Kurosaki, are you alright?" Reiji asked, holding Reira close to him.

  
"I'm fine... just a slight headache..." The CEO nodded. Suddenly, another wormhole appeared and Yuzu was sucked up. Yuya yelled Yuzu's name, the winds swept him off his feet until Nobaru grabbed his ankle, Shingo held Nobaru and Shun reinforced the two.

  
The winds suddenly became stronger and forced all four into the wormhole.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'M SO SORRY FOR BEING SO HALF-ASSED WITH MY WRITING!   
> Although the synchro arc to me wasn't that... memorable. The only things I remember were Dennis being a traitor, Crow and Shun getting along with one another... and a bunch of duels I don't know how to write.
> 
> SO I'M SO SORRY! I'M TRYING! I haven't really wrote good fanfiction... like Yu-Gi-Oh fanfiction... so this is my first time.


	4. The Xyz Aid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The long awaited Xyz Arc! Shun returns back to his homeland... only to realise it was attacked twice?!

"This is... Heartland?" Yuya asked as Shun nodded. "My homeland... the Xyz dimension..." Shingo and Nobaru looked at the deserted city.

  
Shun left the three to find survivors to possibly help them while he left to go his resistance. A growing sense of dread loomed over him. The dust and dirt shuffled under his foot with each step.

  
Slowly, he made his way to the duel school he and his sister used to attend... it was more ravaged than he remembered. Windows were shattered and parts of the building were nothing but rubble. He furrowed his brow and looked around.

  
' _Where is everyone?_ ' The scent finally hit him. Fusion... the scent was faint, but dread settled itself in his mind. Destroyed resistance duel disks and torn up Xyz monster cards were scattered all around the place.

  
Shun fell onto his knees. "All gone... every last one of them... gone..." The shapeshifter let out a quiet whimper, he covered his mouth. ' _No! I can't lose control here!_ ' Shun stood up and left, his dread turning to grief.

  
...

  
He later found Allen and Sayaka, his two friends from duel school and comrades from the Clover Resistance branch. The trio made their way to where they heard a familiar cry of Dark Rebellion and a certain Galaxy Eyes Dragon.

  
After exchanging conversation with Kaito, Shun's rival, the boy ended up running away in a flash of light.

  
...

  
The Lancers were led to a Duel Lodge hidden in the hills. This was the new place for the survivors to stay. Allen introduced himself to the three residents from Standard as well as Sayaka, who was busy giving the survivors soup.

  
"Yuya was it?" The boy turned to Allen with a questioning hum. "Amazing, you really do look like him. For a second there, we thought that was Yuto back there. I mean, you did summon Dark Rebellion back there." Shun frowned slightly, knowing where this conversation was going.

  
"Either that or... you are Yuto!"  
"He's not Yuto." Shun growled, gaining everyone's attention. "He's Sakaki Yuya. Yuto followed me to Standard... and he vanished." Allen perked up.  
"Was he-"  
"I don't know where he is... he entrusted Yuya with his card and vanished. I doubt Fusion got to him." Sayaka gasped quietly as Allen glared at Shun. "Did you try to look for him?"

  
"I don't think that would do anything... because Yuto is..." Yuya paused and remained silent.  
"I couldn't look for him..." Allen stood up. "Why couldn't you? What was stopping you?"  
Shun was silent as Allen scoffed. "Did you really abandon him? What if he was carded? What if he was-"

  
"I know that he wasn't carded!"  
"How do you know that? What happened?! Aren't we friends? We don't keep things from each other!" Shun looked down, silenced.

  
"Kurosaki..." Yuya mumbled. "You know, you've always been the shady one. You vanished for two months... and came back miraculously unharmed. Even before the invasion, I always felt that you were hiding something. Ruri passed this off as 'normal behaviour'... I don't like it." Allen stated.

  
"You're going to tell us what you're-"  
"Allen, please." Sayaka begged, moving her friend away from the shapeshifter.  
The Raidraptor duelist stood up. "I'm going out... don't follow."  
"K-Kurosaki-"  
"That's an order." Shingo glared at Shun.

  
"Since when were you the one giving the orders?!" Shun sent Shingo a harsh glare before leaving the room.

  
\---<>\---

  
Shun had reverted to his half cat, half human child form and put his hood up. He sat in the forest on a rock. His tail flicked side to side and his cat ears pressed against his head, giving off a somewhat normal look at first glance.

  
' _I have to tell them at some point... but how can I?_ ' Shun balled his fists and shoved them in his pocket.  
"Hey? Little... boy?" Shun jumped and turned to face... Sayaka? ' _What is she doing out here?_ ' The small boy lowered his hood further down his face.

  
"W-What is it?" Shun asked as Sayaka sat next to him. "I just... wanted some time to myself, I didn't expect someone, let alone a small child, to be out here by themselves." She mumbled.

  
She pushed her glasses up and sighed, Shun remained silent. "What about you? I don't recall seeing someone like you before." She asked as his tail flicked unnoticed behind him.

  
Sayaka furrowed her brow slightly, the boy didn't answer. "Are you... fusion?" Shun shook his head. "No." His voice was different compared to his regular gruff tone. His tail wrapped itself around his wrist and Sayaka gaped.  
"Y-You're a..." Shun flinched and clutched his hood tightly. The memories flowed. _"Monster! Freak! Why don't you gave back to the trash you were made from?_ "

  
"Neko?" That was a strange response, he reopened his eyes and slowly glanced towards Sayaka. His ears twitched under the hood slightly, hearing Sayaka's name being shouted.

  
"I think someone needs you." Sayaka gaped and nodded. "R-Right... I'll see you later?" Shun nodded as Sayaka ran into the forest in the direction of the Duel Lodge.

  
As soon as she was gone, Shun lowered his hood and stared at the ground. "Sayaka didn't know that this... is me?" He closed his eyes and clenched his fists. "Damn this curse..."

  
...

  
Allen noticed Sayaka getting a bowl of soup from the massive pot after food service. It seemed suspicious that she also went out of the Duel Lodge. Allen followed her into the forest and continued to follow her.

  
"Hey kid, I got you some food." Sayaka called out to the hunched over child on the rock. Allen hid behind the tree and watched the exchange.

  
The boy had his hood up, as though he was expecting Sayaka to be there with the soup. "Is that... tomato soup?" The boy asked as she nodded.

  
She handed the bowl to the boy. "You were followed..." Sayaka gasped and looked around. "Y-You must be-"  
"A small boy that smells of petrol and metal." She sighed. "Allen... Allen!" The poncho-wearing boy sighed and walked into the clearing.

  
"Sayaka, why is this-" Allen noticed the tail and choked. "S-Sayaka... what is that?" The hooded boy (Totally not Shun), flinched and clutched his hood. "He's half cat, half human Allen."

  
"Is he from fusion?" Sayaka shook her head. "He... doesn't look like he's from Fusion." Allen frowned. "Did you find Shun? The newbies are getting worried." The hooded boy hurriedly drank the soup without the use of the spoon that Sayaka held in her hand nervously.

"Thank you... for the food." He stated as he dashed deeper into the forest. "Hey! Get back here!" Allen yelled, running after him.   
"W-Wait! A-Allen?!"  
"Go back to the lodge Sayaka!" The lilacette looked down and picked up the discarded bowl. ' _Allen..._ ' She stared at the boy's fleeting figure in the distance before running back to the lodge.

  
...

  
"Come back here kid!" Allen yelled as the two chased each other. The cat boy tripped and Allen bumped into him and wrapped his arms around around the cat boy.

  
"Now's not the time to play tag kid!" The boy struggled in Allen's grip, the poncho boy suddenly glanced at his shoulder, seeing a familiar crest. "The Raidraptor's crest?" Allen murmured. The boy stopped struggling and let out a small sigh.

  
"I guess... there's no use hiding it anymore. It's as you said before, friends shouldn't keep secrets from each other... and I think I've been hiding this from you long enough." Allen froze up. 'I never spoke to a cat boy! Unless he's...'  
"S-Shun? No way..."

  
Allen let the boy go as the cat boy took his hood off. Indeed, it was Shun... only he was a younger version of himself with cat features. The poncho boy's turquoise eyes widened in shock.

  
"Shun...? H-How did you... change into-" The shapeshifter interrupted him with a sigh. "I was cursed to be a shapeshifter. Any clothes that are recognised to belong to me will change with me." Allen grabbed Shun's hood.

  
"Did Academia do this to you? Did that coward's son do this?" Shun hissed and scratched at Allen's hand. "Yuya did no such thing! Neither did Academia... I was born like this Allen!" Shun yelled, startling the poncho boy.

  
"W-Wait... you were like this the entire time? Including with... Ruri?" Allen asked, Shun's tail coiled around his leg as the cat boy looked down and away from Allen. He squeezed his eyes shut, heaving out a sigh before opening his eyes and glancing back to poncho boy.

  
"...much as I would hate to admit it... but... yes... I was a shapeshifter and I kept it from her." Allen gaped. "W-Why did you-"  
"Before, when I was getting used to shapeshifting, I would have these episodes that would end up hurting someone. I... didn't want to hurt Ruri, I am her older brother. My job is to protect and love my sister since our parents couldn't bare to do that."

  
Shun sat on the ground, holding his knees towards his chest. He sighed, "I shouldn't have kept this from her... but I was afraid. Afraid that she would leave me... I didn't tell anyone because... I was afraid of being rejected from society. An outcast... a freak... a mon-"

  
Allen had enough and hugged Shun, who seemed taken aback in surprise. "I don't care what you are, you are still a friend of mine. You're not a monster Shun, you are special... unique in a way. At least... at least you're here..." Allen held the small boy tight as Shun let out a strange cat-like coo.

  
"A-Allen... l-let meow... geow..." Shun mentally scolded himself. ' _Not again!_ ' The poncho boy felt Shun shrink in his grip, suddenly gaining a fur-like feeling.

  
When the boy realised what Shun said, he froze up and opened his eyes. A small black cat stared up at Allen, gently pawing his poncho for attention. He recognised the red scarf around the cat's neck to be his astranged friend's bandana.

  
The cat meowed pitifully as Allen picked it up. "Shun? Is that you?" The cat nodded as the boy smiled. "You... kinda look cute like this you know?" Shun let out a hiss as Allen chuckled. "Only joking Shun. Come on... let's go back to the lodge."

  
\---<>\---

  
The poncho boy cooped himself up in his work space with Shun resting on the desk next to him as soon as they arrived back to the lodge.

  
' _How long does it take for him to change back?_ ' Allen pondered to himself, sparing a quick glance towards the small cat. He sighed and grasped his head. 'Am I overthinking this? Shun's been this way for all of his life... I'm sure he knows when he can change back.'

  
Shun suddenly flinched himself awake to see Allen putting on a thinking face. He meowed for his attention as the poncho boy jumped. "Finally awake?" The cat nodded and jumped off the table, landing on his feet.  
Allen watched as the cat shifted back to his regular form, adjusting his scarf and dusting off his coat. "Is a cat the only thing you can change into?" Shun shook his head.

  
"No, but I don't want to abuse my power... otherwise..." He looked at the wall. ' _The power would consume me..._ '  
"Well you already did that with Sayaka. You lied to her." Shun flinched as Allen folded his arms. "Are you going to tell her and Kaito about this?"

  
"I will... when Kaito comes back." Allen sighed. "You are, sometimes, just as stubborn as him you know. At least tell Sayaka." Shun looked down. "In front of the survivors... I can't do that."

  
"I meant privately. I understand you want to keep this under wraps. But Shun... tell her, please." The poncho boy whispered as Shun gave him a confused glance. "It's rare for you to use mannerisms, why the sudden change of attitude?" Allen turned a pale pink and glared at him.

  
"D-Don't get the wrong idea! It's just... good to tell your closest friends about this..." Shun nodded. "I know..." With that, Shun left the room and Allen sat back down on the chair.

  
...

  
It was the search for Kaito, Yuya had ran off elsewhere while the rest of the Lancers searched the ruined city for the Cipher duelist.

  
Allen and Sayaka found him and Kaito attempted to walk away, only for Shun to spontaniously appear and stop him for a duel. So far, the duel was going well.

  
Yuya eventually ran onto the scene and told the two to stop fighting. Allen, still feeling salty, told him to back out of the duel and let them continue; saying that an outsider had no business with the Resistance.  
Shun summoned his Rank Ten Ultimate Falcon and started using action cards to boost the monster's attack. The aim was over six-thousand attack points.

  
Action card after action card, Kaito's ranting about how he didn't need comrades was starting to ache Shun's heart. ' _What about the times we duelled Kaito? What about the children we entertained?_ ' Shun drew the last action card... his luck had ran out as Ultimate Falcon attacked the dragon and exploded on impact, his life points dropping to zero as Shun was flung back against a wall.

  
"Kurosaki!/Shun!" The group shouted as Shun struggled to get up. Kaito approached him as Shun tried to control his powers. "N-Not... here..." He groaned to himself as Kaito raised his duel disk.

  
Panic overrode Shun's system. ' _Is it over? No! I haven't saved Ruri yet!_ ' Subconsciously, Shun shifted to his cat form and dashed away. Kaito stood in place, staring in the direction the cat ran off to.  
"Kurosaki!" Yuya yelled, trying to run after Shun until Allen grasped his wrist. The Cipher duelist turned to the group before following the cat.

  
...

  
It was dark, pitch black dark. Shun was scolding himself for letting his power control his actions once again. He was still in his cat form, wandering the ruined streets of Heartland.

  
" _I can't believe I did that! I can't believe I let that happen..._ " Shun hissed. He slumped onto the ground, frustrated. "Hey guys look!" Shun glanced up, being met with flashlights. "It's wearing a Resistance scarf, should we card it?"

  
Shun jumped up and dashed away. ' _Run! Run! Run!_ ' His mind was screaming for him to run. He soon bumped into something... or someone. "Resorting to carding animals now? Pathetic." Shun recognised that voice. It was Kaito.

  
"I-It's him! That duelist on the wanted list!" One of the students laughed. "Is that cat yours? I wouldn't be surprised." Kaito stepped in front of Shun and readied his duel disk.  
He swiftly finished the students off and carded them. The blue-eyed duelist glanced down at the cat and kneeled down to him. "...is that you, Shun?" Kaito asked. The cat didn't say anything, afraid of what he might do to him.

  
The blonde duelist sighed and stood up. "I understand if you don't want to talk." He stated as Kaito walked passed him. " _W-Wait!_ Kaito!" Shun shapeshifted to his half cat, half human form and grasped his coat.

  
The duelist stopped and turned to him, his eyes glittered with surprise. Shun felt the atmosphere and instantly backed away. "We spoke... during the duel. I-I'm sorry... that you think I abandoned you."

  
Kaito kneeled down to the now smaller boy, Shun's ears flattened against his head and his tail coiled around his leg. "I never thought you could sound afraid. I'm sorry if I scared you." Shun turned pink in embarassment.

  
"N-No... m-my cat is afraid of you..." Kaito put his hands on Shun's shoulder. "Your inner cat?" Shun nodded, his foot subconsciously taking a step back. The two stared at one another until the older boy got an idea.  
Kaito went up to Shun's ear and gently started to rub them. Shun turned dark red, leaning into Kaito's touch and seemingly purring happily. It took the Cipher duelist off guard when Shun melted into Kaito and hugged him tightly.

  
The Cipher duelist froze up as Shun suddenly realised what he was doing. The small boy, embarassed about what he did, tried to shove Kaito away from him... but was equally surprised when Kaito embraced him back.  
The two were hugging each other, though it started out awkwardly between the two... they hugged it out. Before Kaito knew it, Shun fell limp in his grasp.

  
"Shun?" Kaito whispered. He became worried... only to hear quiet snoring erupt from the boy. He had fell asleep in Kaito's arms. "Shun!" The boy snapped himself awake and quickly apologized to Kaito.  
"You should go to the Duel Lodge with the others... they must be worried about you." Shun forced himself away from Kaito.

  
"What about you? It's dangerous for you out here..." Kaito gave Shun a soft smile, that was barely visible in the dark. "I've dealt with this by myself before... don't worry about me." Shun shifted to his cat form.

  
He suddenly felt that he was picked up and embraced. "And... thank you." Shun blushed as Kaito put him down. "Now go. Stay safe." Kaito whispered as Shun nodded, dashing off into the darkness, his vibrant red scarf vanished in the distance.

  
\---<>\---

  
When Shun arrived back to the Duel Lodge, he heard an argument going on inside. It was Yuya and Allen. Shun stood at the door, staring at the arguing duo.

  
"Is this just some excuse to run like your father did? I'm certain that Shun will be fine!" Yuya's eyes shifted to grey. " _That's enough! Allen!_ " Shun bolted through the door and hissed loudly, gaining the attention of the two.

  
" _Enough! Both of you!_ " Shun hissed, glaring at the two. Allen looked relieved and Yuya looked surprised, his eyes shifting back to red... he saw a shadow leave his body. Shun tilted his head in confusion, as did the shadow.  
Yuya seemed to notice as Allen left the room in a huff.

  
Shun sniffed the air... Yuto's scent, it came from the shadow. " _Yuto...?_ " The shadow nodded it's head. Yuya turned to the shadow and nodded. "He says he's relieved that you came back, we were getting worried for you spontaniously ran away from us."

  
" _Wait... Yuto can understand me like this?_ " Shun meowed curiously. The shadow nodded once again. "Surprisingly, he can understand you... I guess it has something to do with animals with their senses." Yuya mumbled, Shun nodded in response.

  
" _Sorry that I ran away like that... even so, I didn't mean to. My powers... I never dealt with this issue before. Although I almost changed from stress back in Standard. Reiji was lucky to have pointed it out to me... before it completely changed me._ " The shadow turned to Yuya. " _Back then, I changed almost instantly. My instinct was telling me to run... we didn't save Ruri yet and I didn't want to be carded..._ "

  
"It's okay Shun..." He glanced up to see Yuya, only his eyes belonged to Yuto. Shun meowed up to him when Yuto picked him up. "It's almost curfew... we should head to bed."

...

  
Yuto gave Yuya control of his body back as Shun jumped onto the futon. Yuya laid on the futon next to Shun and closed his eyes.  
Shun curled up and fell asleep.

  
\---<>\---

  
  
_Shun awoke to normal Heartland, no signs of destruction. "Are you going to stand there all day brother? Come on, Yuto is waiting for us!" He turned to see Ruri, his little sister, waving towards him._   
_The shapeshifter nodded and ran over to her. Ruri started talking about how great the tournament would be and started praying for Yuto._

  
_"Oh! Brother! There's a magic show ahead!" Shun visibly grimaced but put on a smile. "I thought you wanted to see Yuto win against his opponent." Ruri nodded. "That's his opponent over there, the magician! Come on please?"_   
_Shun sighed and nodded. "Okay, only for a short while." The two siblings approached the crowd, the masked magician performed simple tricks. Like rabbits in a hat, doves flying from his sleeves... the casual magician stuff._

  
_'It isn't Dennis... wait, she saw that show by herself.' The masked magician hummed. "For my next trick, I need someone to come up on stage... how about..." He scanned the crowd. "You, with the teal hair."_   
_Shun froze up as Ruri grasped his wrist. "Come on brother, just this once?" Shun gave her a stern glance before nodding. He moved through the crowd and up on the stage._

  
_"Okay, sit there my boy." The magician pointed to a stool as Shun took a seat, trying to remain calm. The magician pulled out a familiar pendulum. 'Yuya's pendulum? How does he have it?'_   
_"We're going to use hypnosis." Shun froze up. 'H-Hypnosis?' The magician approached him and dangled the pendulum in front of him. He gave a glance to the crowd, seeing Ruri standing there with Yuto?_

  
_'Wasn't he at the stadium?' Shun quickly glanced towards the pendulum, his surroundings turned dark and it was only the swinging pendulum. "Ruri? Yuto?!" Shun cried out, glancing about frantically as he tried to stand up. But he was frozen in a sitting position._

  
_The next thing he knew, he was in his Resistance attire as the pendulum continued to swing. "Kaito? Sayaka? Allen? Where are you?!" Shun frantically looked around, only to hear laughter. It was the magician in the mask. The pendulum in his hand still swinging._

  
_He let the pendulum swing as Shun glared at him. "Who are you? What are you?" The magician laughed again._   
_"Such a fiesty one aren't you?" Shun tried to release himself, tried to wake up... but nothing of the sort. "This is all a dream... this has to be a dream..." The magician threw the pendulum upwards, creating a larger pendulum that continued to swing._

  
_"Why it is a dream... but I'm the one keeping you here, monster." Shun flinched as the magician approached him and cupped his cheeks. "You have grown such much since the last time I saw you... you were only a newborn..."_   
_Shun froze up. "Wait a minute... you're the one responsible for this curse?" The magician smiled. "Grown so much indeed..." The Raidraptor duelist finally broke free from his binds and collapsed onto the ground._

  
_"You oh so wish to be normal... but I guess I took that from you. Look on the bright side Kurosaki Shun, you are unique... though a freak. You barely can control these powers and it's only a matter of time before your real side reers it's ugly head."_   
_"Real side?" The magician nodded. "Every shapeshifter has a true self... a demon of their former self. A mix between human and non-human. A true freak of nature." Shun gritted his teeth._

  
_The magician took his mask off slightly, revealing brilliant amber eyes. "I suffered the same fate... do you wish to see your real side?" He seemingly had no choice as a mirror formed in the magician's hands. Shun froze up in the reflection._

  
_His mirrored self convulsed in pain and shivered. Six large dark midnight green wings exploded from his back, his fingernails turned to sharp talons, his skin turned grey and his amber eyes glowed eerily. His feet were akin to a falcon, his screams turned to the one of the falcon he used most often. Rise Falcon._

  
_Shun was horrified, he took a step back and fell. The magician tipping his hat. "Safe travels, Kurosaki Shun of the Blackened Crest."_

...

  
Shun woke up coated in cold sweat and breathing heavily. "S-Shun?" He glanced up to see Sayaka.

  
"Sayaka?" She nodded. "I-I... heard from Yuya that you changed back during the night and started tossing and turning. Yuya had to move rooms during the night because it got violent. Yuya tried to wake you, but you started growling and hissing towards him. You also scratched him a-and..."

  
Shun stood up, flashbacks from the nightmare got to him. "A-Anyways... glad to see y-you're awake." She left the room as the shapeshifter collected himself.

  
"Will I... completely lose myself to my powers and turn into that?" He muttered, clutching his arms.

  
\---<>\---

  
Sayaka had ran from the lodge and found trouble with the Tyler Sisters, Allen followed her and duelled them with Sayaka at his side.

  
Unfortunately, they lost against Gloria and Grace. They were almost carded only for Nobaru and Shingo to intervene, they lost too... it was now down to Yuya and Shun.

  
Shun took his rage out on the sisters, after revealing that they were responsible for Spade's demise. The words of the magician rang in his ears. "Only a matter of time..." Yuya turned to him in confusion.

  
Shun closed his eyes and set a card. "Turn end." Grace frowned. Yuya gave Shun a worried look, Yuto appeared beside him, giving him the same look.

  
...

  
In the end, Yuya won the duel with his entertainment dueling. The group escaped from the Tyler Sisters while they were distracted and continued to walk back to the Duel Lodge.

  
"Hey? Yuya?" The tomato turned to Allen. "That duel was... great. I didn't think you would be able to pull something like that off." Shingo smiled. "He did the same in Synchro! Uniting the city as one."

  
Sayaka seemed surprised. "Uniting the city?" Shun nodded. "Nothing like Heartland. The rich were the ones in control while the poor ones live in poverty. But that won't be the case anymore." He stated as Yuya turned red.

  
"We shouldn't exclude each other. From now on..." Shun put his hand out. "We are a united as a team." Allen seemed surprised but he smiled towards him. "I agree." The group huddled in and put their hands on top of Shun's.

  
"You know Kurosaki, you should be a leader." Nobaru stated as Shun turned pink. "As much as I would disagree, but he's right." Shingo stated.  
"Everyone..." Shun mumbled as Yuya sent him a smile.

  
...

  
That all came crashing down in a matter of minutes, Obelisk Force had been sent to defeat the Lancers. Shun and Yuya were dueling them until they summoned a Chaos Giant.

  
Sayaka screamed and ran away, Shun turned and ran after her. ' _She's going to get herself hurt!_ '

"Sayaka!" Shun grabbed Sayaka's wrist and tossed her away from the falling rubble. However, the rubble crashed down onto him. "Shun!/Kurosaki!" His comrades yelled, everything faded to black and it was silence.

  
\---<>\---

  
_"Welcome back, the Blackened Crest." Shun awoke in the dark limbo, the white masked magician stood over him. The shapeshifter scrambled away from him. "What happened? Why are you here? More importantly, where is here?"_

  
_"Settle down will you? You've been knocked unconscious after that act of heroism. This is simply inside your head. Pretty hollow for someone like you." Shun growled as the magician laughed._

  
_"I'm only kidding." The shapeshifter stood up and folded his arms. "Who are you?" The magician sighed._   
_"I've never had a name, I am simply known as the White Magician of Chaos." He stated as Shun sighed._

  
_The two stood in silence as the magician smirked, appearing before Shun. "You certainly feel unnerved... or is it, anger?" Shun glared at the man. "You cursed me when I was only a newborn. I was abandoned by my birthparents because of you."_

  
_The magician chuckled. "Your birthparents would've abandoned you either way." The magician grasped Shun's cheeks and lightly smacked them. The shapeshifter growled as the magician grinned._

  
_"Our time is up... be wary now Kurosaki Shun." The magician vanished as the limbo turned white._

...

  
Shun awoke to a white ceiling, and a pounding headache. "Shun! You're awake." He turned to see Sayaka.   
"Sayaka...?" It suddenly occurred to him. "Where's Yuya?"

  
The lilac haired girl pushed her glasses up nervously. "He went to Fusion with his comrades and Kaito went along with him, he was going to save Ruri in your stead-"

  
Shun immediately stood up and got his coat. Suddenly, Edo walked in. "Kurosaki, you should be resting...!"  
"I'm the one going to save Ruri, no one else. She's my sister." Shun grumbled as he fastened his coat and grabbed his duel disk. He strode over to Edo. "Take me to the teleporter." The commander sighed.

  
"I guess I can't help that... come on then." Shun turned to Sayaka. "Keep an eye on things here... I'm counting on you." Shun stated as she nodded. "R-Right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Editing this in post... god I realised how cringy my writing style is... I'm going to wait for feedback for this chapter and I'll post the last (?) chapter after that. I generally want people's feedback for this because I'm realising how cringy my writing style is compared to everybody else on here.
> 
> Also! I know, I made Kaito and most characters in the chapter a bit OOC. 
> 
> (That is a big maybe, I don't know if the next one will be the last chapter or not.)

**Author's Note:**

> Not like anyone would see the post spam am I right?


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